NFC Workshop

Near Field Communication (NFC) is an exciting short-range wireless connectivity technology that dramatically simplify the way consumer devices interact with one another, helping people speed connections, receive and share information, and make fast and secure payments. This one-day preconference seminar explains how companies can use NFC to enhance products and the consumer shopping experience.

RFID Journal LIVE! preconference seminars provide in-depth information regarding specific aspects of EPC and RFID technologies. Attendees can choose to participate in one of these sessions prior to the opening of the main conference program. Preconference seminars are available through an All-Access, Conference + Preconference or Preconference + Exhibit-Only Pass.

April 3, 2012

10:30 AM

RFID BasicsNew to RFID? This optional session for all preconference attendees provides an introduction to the fundamentals of the technology. The differences between the various classes of tags will be explained, including active and passive systems, and the need for additional IT systems to build upon RFID in real-world applications will be highlighted. The session will also include a brief overview of the EPCglobal network, the future of ISO standards, ETSI reader regulations and the latest standardization efforts worldwide. Finally, the relationship between different standards in the area of EPC RFID, including the latest EPC Gen 2 standard, will be presented.

• A general understanding of the various types of RFID systems and their applications
• An understanding of the different components of an RFID system and how they fit together

11:30 AM

NFC and Mobile Payments: What Will It Take to Make It Real?NFC stands for Near Field Communication, a set of short-range wireless technologies that enable two nearby devices to communicate with each other. NFC technology is making it possible to use a mobile phone to read NFC tags and transmit the data directly to the phone. NFC-enabled phones, unlike magstripe credit cards, can be password-protected. If you lose your credit card, anyone who picks it up can use it by simply forging your signature. Many phones, however, have a password, and some technology (such as Google Wallet) will require an application-specific password, which will inhibit the ability of an unauthorized party to utilize a stolen NFC phone to purchase goods. In this session, in addition to the advantages of using the technology for mobile payments, learn how the technology faces some obstacles. NFC phones can only work as a payment tool if merchants upgrade their point-of-sale (POS) readers. What's more, phone manufacturers might not want to put NFC chips in their phones until more POS terminals can handle NFC payments, and retailers might not want to spend the money to upgrade POS devices until there are more phones with NFC capabilities in consumers' hands.

Speaker:

Jeff Fonseca, Director of Business Development & Sales, NXP Semiconductors

12:15 PM

Opening Doors With NFC at Arizona State UniversityA group of students and staff members at Arizona State University (ASU) are participating in a pilot project to test the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) phones to replace traditional access-control cards and keys. The pilot participants are able to access a campus residence hall, as well as selected rooms, using an application carried on smartphones connected to all major mobile networks. RFID readers are installed on secured doors to ASU's Palo Verde hall, with special electromechanical locks placed on selected resident room doors. Residents utilize NFC smartphones equipped with digital credentials; to obtain access to the residence hall and open the door locks, a resident must present his or her phone to a door reader, in the same manner as is currently done using existing contactless cards. Learn how ASU is employing NFC technology to increase security and boost the user experience, by utilizing phones (commonly taken everywhere by students) versus cards, (which can easily be forgotten and left behind).

Speaker:

Laura S. Ploughe, Director of Business Applications and Fiscal Control, University Business Services, Arizona State University

Takeaways:

• How some students are using phones with a unique additional digital key and a PIN identifier to open individual room doors
• Expanding NFC technology beyond cashless payment into physical access control

1:00 PM

Lunch

1:45 PM

Tracking Clean Water Consumption in HaitiNonprofit organization Deep Springs International (DSI) provides water-treatment kits to Haitians. Each kit consists of a five-gallon plastic bucket with a lid and a spigot, as well as a chlorine solution and written instructions regarding how to use it. As part of that program, DSI sends water technicians to the homes of those using the kits, to check whether they are being properly utilized. To help it better manage its technicians and the data they generate, the organization has employed Near Field Communication (NFC) 13.56 MHz passive RFID tags attached to buckets, as well as NFC-enabled phones, to collect data and forward it to a back-end system. The phones are provided by the Nokia Research Center (NRC), located in Palo Alto, Calif., with software developed by David Holstius, a student and Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health. Learn how the software was installed on DSI's back-end system and on the phones, how the water technicians were trained to utilize the system on the phones, and why an adhesive-backed tag is attached to each bucket's exterior.

Speaker:

David Holstius, Ph.D., Student in Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health

Takeaways:

• The use of a cell-phone software application that prompted the technicians to answer specific questions regarding water testing
• The future challenges facing the project

2:30 PM

NFC: TAP Points in the Marketplace Near Field Communication (NFC) is no longer just a payment tool. It's the driving force behind the next evolution of interactive marketing, and both RFID and NFC technologies are being used for employee and consumer end-user engagement. In this session, gain an understanding of TAP points, the physical location-based points of delivery at which NFC is being utilized across industries and ecosystems to deliver, share and collect information. Learn how this data can be harnessed and channeled to provide consumer-driven analytics and feedback, which companies can then utilize to drive decision-making for product development, design and promotion, as well as brand and end-user relationships.

• Current market use cases that go beyond mobile wallet and point-of-sale (POS) transactions
• How companies can employ the technology to develop business solutions to solve real problems, in real time

3:15 PM

Break

3:30 PM

Leveraging RFID With NFC for Better ROIRFID and Near Field Communication (NFC) can go hand-in-hand, from pre-purchase inventory control to in-store authenticity, and on to post-purchase consumer recognition and engagement. Learn how to leverage your knowledge of and investments in RFID technologies, as well as how to extend your service capability via NFC for a better return on investment. What's more, find out how the technology can be used within your marketing organization to improve market position, and to aid branding efforts.

RFID Journal LIVE! 2012 is produced by RFID Journal, the World's RFID Authority.

All conference sessions are subject to change, and RFID Journal reserves the right to alter dates, programs and speakers at any time, as circumstances dictate. Sessions without assigned speakers indicate a target topic; every effort will be made to ensure that a program of equivalent standard and value is available.